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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052388">All I Want for Christmas is... an Electric Screwdriver!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoguishRobin/pseuds/RoguishRobin'>RoguishRobin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>James Bond (Craig movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cats, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree, Festive Cheer, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, Getting Together, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Pining, Snow, Wooing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:07:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoguishRobin/pseuds/RoguishRobin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Our two favourite boys are preparing for Christmas! Come along and enjoy their festive antics.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Bond/Q</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>All I Want for Christmas is... an Electric Screwdriver!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So a couple of years ago I attempted to do 00Q-mas and failed due to real life getting in the way. Those unwritten prompts were haunting me for ages so I decided to pack all of them into one single short story. It's been a weird and long year so I hope that my festive fic can bring a smile to your face.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>T’was the night before Christmas</em> and the first snow of the year fell silently and thickly on London’s streets. It dampened the sounds of laughter and singing as all of London celebrated the holiday. </p>
<p>Q hadn’t noticed the snow yet. The curtains weren’t drawn, but they didn’t need to be. After all, he lived on the third floor and there was no one who could look into his cosy flat. There were Christmas lights wrapped around every available surface of his home and a fire crackled merrily in the fireplace. </p>
<p>Q’s pride and joy this Christmas was his stunning, seven foot Norwegian spruce. He had bribed two of his neighbours to lug it up the stairs with him, and now it stood proudly in the corner of his sitting room lit up with soft, golden lights. Neville and Luna had made several attempts to climb it but after the sixth broken bauble, Q had rigged up a little cat alarm. It was effective within a three foot radius of the tree and so far it was working really well. The cats weren’t too pleased about having their fun ruined but Q had a plan to change this. </p>
<p>It involved the six, rather large, boxes surrounding him as he sat cross-legged on the ground of his sitting room under the disdainful eyes of his cats, who were both perched on the sofa. There were Christmas carols softly playing in the background and a cup of hot cocoa on a small table just within his reach.</p>
<p> The cup had been his Secret Santa gift at MI6 and he loved it. One of his minions had printed it with pictures of Neville, Luna and his Q Branch underlings.</p>
<p>Equipped with two large rolls of wrapping paper, scissors and sellotape he set about the task of wrapping his furbabies’ presents all the while humming along with the songs and singing with Mariah Carey about all she wanted for Christmas.<br/>
If a certain blond haired, blue-eyed agent crossed his mind as he belted out the words, well then that was nobody’s business but his own. <br/>
Q huffed when he heard the first notes of Frozen’s “<em>Do you want to build a snowman?</em>” start to play and balefully glared at his phone in its docking station, feeling betrayed that this particular song had made it on to the play list, which thus far had been aptly named <em>“Best XMAS playlist evaaaaaa”</em>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile on the other side of London in a loud, overcrowded pub, Moneypenny, Tanner and Bond were enjoying some after-work drinks. <br/>
Everyone but Bond was wearing hideous Christmas jumpers and every time Eve’s jumper started squawking “You’re a mean one Mr. Grinch” Bond flinched and gave it a disgusted look. </p>
<p>However, he was appeased by the excellent Christmas cookies Hilda Tanner had baked and given to her husband to share with his work colleagues. Just for those, this excursion to the pub, among the many Christmas revelers, was almost worth it. If Bond had been hoping that a certain wild-haired boffin would also be part of their group, then no one needed to know.</p>
<p>“So I’ll be seeing both of you for dinner tomorrow at 2 p.m. sharp, right?” said Tanner, he was very tipsy and made a very conscious effort to enunciate properly.</p>
<p>“Of course,” chirped Eve brightly, “I’ve already ordered dessert from that nice bakery in my street.” </p>
<p>Bond merely grunted.</p>
<p>“C’mon Bond lighten up,” said Tanner, “it’s Christmas after all!”</p>
<p>“Bah,” said Bond, “Humbug!”</p>
<p>Eve broke into peals of laughter and even Tanner chuckled.</p>
<p>“At least you’re not stuck in a blizzard in Siberia with Trevelyan this year,” said Eve and Bond inclined his head in silent acknowledgement. There hadn’t even been any alcohol to make it more tolerable.</p>
<p>“Don’t be like Q,” complained Tanner, “he’s refusing to come because he doesn’t want to leave his cats alone for the day.” </p>
<p>His tone clearly insinuated that he was insulted that Q would rather spend Christmas with his cats than delight in Hilda’s cooking.</p>
<p>At these words a plan formed in Bond’s head and once he had drained his pint, he bid his coworkers a warm farewell and told them that he needed to get going and not to expect him at the Tanner’s the following day.<br/>
He didn’t miss the knowing look Moneypenny and Tanner gave each other but he didn’t care. He had some shopping to take care of. </p>
<p>What little Christmas spirit Bond had possessed, disappeared entirely as he pushed and shoved his way through the crowds in Waitrose, Marks and Spencers, Asda and Tesco. <br/>
Since he had left it rather last minute, he had had to go to eight different shops to get everything he needed and when he reached his flat he collapsed on the sofa for ten minutes to recuperate. He had been on missions which had been more enjoyable than that experience. <br/>
Perhaps they should send rookie agents to go shopping on Christmas eve as part of their training. It was an excellent test of character, patience and endurance.</p>
<p>He stowed away all his shopping in the fridge and cupboards and then idly watched a group of carolers roaming the street below him. In a fit of sudden cheer he opened his window and let their voices carry up to him. <br/>
<em>Deck the Halls</em> reminded him of their recent work outing to an ice rink near MI6. Mallory believed that after the whole Spectre fiasco in the past year, his employees needed more fun and inter-departmental bonding. </p>
<p>Therefore, the ice-rink had been booked and the majority of MI6 employees turned up to skate (or fall), drink mulled wine and socialise with their colleagues.</p>
<p>Bond had gone along because Q had to make an appearance as a department head and Q on ice skates was not something Bond wanted to miss. Steel reinforced mittens aside, Q was actually an adequate skater and as he glided across the ice, he shouted encouragement at any of his minions that were struggling with gravity.<br/>
It had been nice and had done nothing to help Bond’s hopeless infatuation with the man.</p>
<p>Q didn’t have the same fond memories of their skating outing as Bond did. Everything had been going so well and Q had been over the moon when he had heard that Bond would be joining them. </p>
<p>There had been doubts as to how well Bond would cope being grounded until the new year but Bond had surprised everyone by coping very well. Of course he did, he loved to be unpredictable, the contrary bugger, thought Q fondly.</p>
<p>He had completed all of his outstanding paperwork, volunteered to test new weapons for Q Branch and had even helped out with training the latest batch of rookies. However, after several broken bones, M had ordered him to cease training immediately. </p>
<p>“Bunch of wimps,” Bond had muttered under his breath while Q had chortled to himself in his office.</p>
<p>Bond also participated in a lot of work events which wasn’t that unusual, what was unusual, was that he mostly stayed for the whole event and didn’t disappear with some random beauty into the night.</p>
<p>Much to Q’s joy Bond spent most of these events with him, Eve and Tanner. And even when Eve or Tanner flitted off to do their obligatory socialising, Bond had stuck close to Q. Even the minions had stopped shrinking into the shadows and corners when Bond appeared near them. Exposure therapy was effective after all, mused Q to himself.</p>
<p>The ice-skating trip had left a bittersweet memory in Q’s mind. While Bond himself hadn’t gone off to find himself some company, the company, in this case a statuesque blonde with ample bosom and a throaty laugh had found Bond. She had relentlessly pursued him, making only cursory polite conversation with Q.<br/>
Q got the hint and excuse himself to the bathroom. He didn’t notice Bond’s lingering gaze as he skated across the rink to the exit.<br/>
Q did watch the two of them once he was off the ice. The woman was running her hands all over Bond, surprisingly Bond looked mildly irritated by her, biting out a “Do you mind?”</p>
<p>Q stayed off towards the side, out of their sight, waiting with bated breath. </p>
<p>“What? I’m cold,” giggled the blonde and Q felt his heart clench as he watched Bond’s hands move up to gently grip her hands.</p>
<p>Q turned without another look and got back on the ice missing Bond turning away from the woman. By the time Bond joined him, Tanner and Eve, looking none the worse for wear, not that that meant anything, Q had his traitorous heart back under control and was able to act as if nothing had happened.<br/>
Nothing had happened after all, Q had just gotten a very timely reminder that it would never happen with Bond. It was best that his heart was put into its place, before it could get stomped on any further.</p>
<p>Once Q had finished all his wrapping, he got ready for the night, turned off all the lights and fell into bed with a happy sigh. He really should try to have more time off, he thought to himself, just before he slipped into sleep, dreaming that Father Christmas was letting marshmallows rain from his sleigh as he rode around the world.</p>
<p>The next morning turned out to be quite an adventure for both men.</p>
<p>Bond had put on several cooking tutorial videos on his tablet and was busy glazing carrots and all sorts of other things.</p>
<p>While Q had spent a delightful fifteen minutes wrangling his cats into the sitting room and then unwrapping their presents while they watched with clear disinterest from the sofa. <br/>
The rest of the morning was spent with curses because the cat jungle gym he had bought required assembly and came in six boxes.<br/>
He was so distracted by the confusing instruction manual, <em>(I build weapons and bombs of mass destruction but I can’t put this together</em> he groused under his breath, <em>I will not be bested by this)</em> that he didn’t even look at the caller ID when his phone rang.</p>
<p>“Q,” he answered and held the manual upside down, maybe that would help. He dropped it in shock when he heard Bond greet him warmly from the other side of the line.</p>
<p>“Q, merry Christmas,” Bond said cheerily. He had everything prepared, now he just needed Q to invite him to his flat.</p>
<p>“What do you want?” Q asked, perhaps a little too curtly, judging by the silence on the other end.</p>
<p>“I apologise 007,” he said, primly, “Merry Christmas to you too.”</p>
<p>Bond took a deep breath, “is this a bad time?”</p>
<p>“What? No, I mean yes, no.”</p>
<p>Bond chuckled low and throaty and Q tried to ignore what it did to his body.</p>
<p>“I was wondering whether you’re up for some company?” Now Bond was holding his breath.</p>
<p>“Do you have an electric screwdriver?”</p>
<p>Bond creased his brow at the non sequitur but answered in the affirmative nevertheless.</p>
<p>“Excellent, come as soon as you can,” Q chirped down the line sounding positively elated. Bond had long ago stopped trying to figure out the enigma that was Q so he simply gathered all the food, and the electric screwdriver and jumped into his Aston Martin. He didn’t require any directions, the journey to Q’s house was burned into his brain. Should his Quartermaster ever need him, he would be ready.</p>
<p>Q opened the door with a look of manic desperation. He gave all the bags Bond was carrying a bemused look but ushered him in. Bond had been in Q’s flat once before but he had to admit, it was even more charming with all the Christmas decorations. He noted the stocking for the cats hanging on the mantlepiece with a smile. With quiet determination in his heart he swore that a stocking with his name would be joining the three stockings currently hanging on the fireplace next Christmas.</p>
<p>It took him a second to notice the disarray that was currently Q’s sitting room. </p>
<p>“Trouble Q?” he asked with a grin when Q returned from wherever he had squirreled away Bond’s coat.</p>
<p>“Don’t ask,” Q said darkly and Bond chuckled, ignoring the glare. </p>
<p>“Here,” said Bond handing him the electric screw driver, “why don’t you continue building while I get dinner started?”</p>
<p>Q looked at him with big eyes and a smile broke out on his face, “I was going to have my Chinese leftovers but if you want to cook then be my guest.”<br/>
With a smile Bond left Q to his own devices and set himself up in the kitchen.</p>
<p>Q turned on a Christmas play list and got back to building. He couldn’t shake the feeling of utter happiness that bloomed his chest at the feeling of domesticity that had overtaken his flat. There was something so right about having Bond puttering around in the background. He heard the low tone of Bond’s voice as he greeted Neville and Luna who had come out of hiding when they realised they knew and liked their visitor.</p>
<p>Once Bond had the turkey crown in the oven and the rest of the food prepped and ready to go he went back to the sitting room with two cups of hot cocoa, each with a liberal dose of Baileys, and handed one to Q which he took with a smile.</p>
<p>Bond’s heart leapt in his chest when Q patted the ground next to him.<br/>
Ignoring the creaking of his knees, he lowered himself to the floor and let Q whine about how the cat jungle gym was the worst thing to ever exist and he had a good mind to return it. Bond listened good-naturedly and eventually gently nudged Q to get on with building.</p>
<p>They built the cat jungle gym in two hours and thirteen minutes with a lengthy break in between for their Christmas dinner. Q had proclaimed it to be the best one he ever had, and was delighted when Bond nodded with a smile when Q demanded that Bond cook every Christmas dinner from now on.<br/>
Bond felt warmed through the core as he stood in the doorway watching Q as he tidied away the remnants of their DIY project.</p>
<p>“Can you believe them?” Q asked with a small laugh, stepping back to Bond’s side. </p>
<p>“I bought them the cat palace deluxe gym and all they want to do is play in the boxes it came in?”</p>
<p>He leant a little closer towards Bond, who felt brave enough to put an arm around Q’s shoulder. Q gave a happy sigh and melted even further into Bond’s side.<br/>
Q encouraged by Bond’s presence and a fair amount of liquid courage leaned up to press a sweet kiss to Bond’s cheek.</p>
<p>“Thank you for today Bond, it was rather lovely.”</p>
<p>“James, Q” said Bond teasingly, though he felt like his heart might fly out of his chest at any second.</p>
<p>“Thank you James,” said Q warmly gazing into the ice blue eyes which were looking at him with such warmth and fondness that Q swallowed.</p>
<p>“D’you know where we’re standing, right now?” said Bond, his voice rough.</p>
<p>Q looked up and sure enough there was mistletoe hanging above them.</p>
<p>“Smooth 007,” he said dryly.</p>
<p>“What?” said Bond with an impish smile, “it’s a Christmas tradition after all.”</p>
<p>“Well then of course it would be wrong to break such a sacred tradition,” nodded Q sagely turning fully to face Bond, his arms winding around Bond’s neck while Bond’s broad, strong hands settled on Q’s waist.</p>
<p>“Merry Christmas James,” breathed Q, before pressing his lips against Bond’s in a heart-achingly tender kiss. They kissed again and again, the kisses growing deeper and hungrier, before turning gentle again.</p>
<p>“Will you stay tonight?” asked Q, breathlessly and Bond hummed giving Q one last peck.</p>
<p>“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said with a smile, “Merry Christmas Q!”</p>
<p>It was the first of many Christmases together and the last time Q got his cats anything other than empty boxes.</p>
<p>
  <em>The End.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading. Kudos and comments are better than Hilda's Christmas cookies. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Stay safe and healthy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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